1 1593 126 MEDITATION AND YOGA PRACTICE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH SMALLER RIGHT AMYGDALA VOLUME: THE ROTTERDAM STUDY. TO DETERMINE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MEDITATION AND YOGA PRACTICE, EXPERIENCED STRESS, AND AMYGDALA AND HIPPOCAMPAL VOLUME IN A LARGE POPULATION-BASED STUDY. THIS STUDY WAS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE POPULATION-BASED ROTTERDAM STUDY AND INCLUDED 3742 PARTICIPANTS FOR CROSS-SECTIONAL ASSOCIATION. PARTICIPANTS FILLED OUT A QUESTIONNAIRE ASSESSING MEDITATION PRACTICE, YOGA PRACTICE, AND EXPERIENCED STRESS, AND UNDERWENT A MAGNETIC RESONANCE SCAN OF THE BRAIN. 2397 PARTICIPANTS UNDERWENT MULTIPLE BRAIN SCANS, AND WERE ASSESSED FOR STRUCTURAL CHANGE OVER TIME. AMYGDALA AND HIPPOCAMPAL VOLUMES WERE REGIONS OF INTEREST, AS THESE ARE STRUCTURES THAT MAY BE AFFECTED BY MEDITATION. MULTIVARIABLE LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS AND MIXED LINEAR MODELS WERE PERFORMED ADJUSTED FOR AGE, SEX, EDUCATIONAL LEVEL, INTRACRANIAL VOLUME, CARDIOVASCULAR RISK, ANXIETY, DEPRESSION AND STRESS. 15.7% OF INDIVIDUALS PARTICIPATED IN AT LEAST ONE FORM OF PRACTICE. THOSE WHO PERFORMED MEDITATION AND YOGA PRACTICES REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE STRESS (MEAN DIFFERENCE 0.2 ON A 1-5 SCALE, P < .001) AND MORE DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS (MEAN DIFFERENCE 1.03 ON CESD, P = .015). PARTAKING IN MEDITATION AND YOGA PRACTICES WAS ASSOCIATED WITH A SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RIGHT AMYGDALA VOLUME (BETA = - 31.8 MM(3), P = .005), AND LOWER LEFT HIPPOCAMPUS VOLUME (BETA = - 75.3 MM(3), P = .025). REPEATED MEASUREMENTS USING LINEAR MIXED MODELS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT EFFECT OVER TIME ON THE RIGHT AMYGDALA OF PRACTICING MEDITATION AND YOGA (BETA = - 24.4 MM(3), SE 11.3, P = .031). PARTAKING IN MEDITATION AND YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE EXPERIENCED STRESS WHILE IT ALSO HELPS COPE WITH STRESS, AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH SMALLER RIGHT AMYGDALA VOLUME. 2018 2 2693 20 YOGA INCREASES THE VOLUME OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS IN ELDERLY SUBJECTS. CONTEXT: THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF YOGA ON THE CORTICAL STRUCTURES IN THE ELDERLY IS AS YET UNKNOWN. MATERIALS AND METHODS: SEVEN HEALTHY ELDERLY SUBJECTS RECEIVED YOGA INTERVENTION AS AN ADD-ON LIFE-STYLE PRACTICE. MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING SCANS WERE OBTAINED BEFORE AND 6 MONTHS LATER. VOXEL-BASED-MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSES COMPARED THE BRAINS BEFORE AND AFTER THE YOGA. RESULTS: YOGA GROUP WAS FOUND TO HAVE INCREASES IN HIPPOCAMPAL, BUT NOT IN OCCIPITAL GRAY MATTER. CONCLUSION: YOGA HAS POTENTIAL TO REDUCE NEURO-SENESCENCE. SMALL SAMPLE SIZE AND ABSENCE OF THE CONTROL GROUP PREVENT GENERALIZATION OF THE FINDINGS LIMITING ITS TRANSLATIONAL VALUE. 2013 3 2085 35 THE EFFECT OF LONG TERM COMBINED YOGA PRACTICE ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE OF HEALTHY ADULTS. BACKGROUND: DIFFERENT PROCEDURES PRACTICED IN YOGA HAVE STIMULATORY OR INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE WHEN STUDIED ACUTELY. IN DAILY LIFE HOWEVER, THESE PROCEDURES ARE USUALLY PRACTICED IN COMBINATION. THE PURPOSE OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE NET CHANGE IN THE BASAL METABOLIC RATE (BMR) OF INDIVIDUALS ACTIVELY ENGAGING IN A COMBINATION OF YOGA PRACTICES (ASANA OR YOGIC POSTURES, MEDITATION AND PRANAYAMA OR BREATHING EXERCISES) FOR A MINIMUM PERIOD OF SIX MONTHS, AT A RESIDENTIAL YOGA EDUCATION AND RESEARCH CENTER AT BANGALORE. METHODS: THE MEASURED BMR OF INDIVIDUALS PRACTICING YOGA THROUGH A COMBINATION OF PRACTICES WAS COMPARED WITH THAT OF CONTROL SUBJECTS WHO DID NOT PRACTICE YOGA BUT LED SIMILAR LIFESTYLES. RESULTS: THE BMR OF THE YOGA PRACTITIONERS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THAT OF THE NON-YOGA GROUP, AND WAS LOWER BY ABOUT 13 % WHEN ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT (P < 0.001). THIS DIFFERENCE PERSISTED WHEN THE GROUPS WERE STRATIFIED BY GENDER; HOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCE IN BMR ADJUSTED FOR BODY WEIGHT WAS GREATER IN WOMEN THAN MEN (ABOUT 8 AND 18% RESPECTIVELY). IN ADDITION, THE MEAN BMR OF THE YOGA GROUP WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THEIR PREDICTED VALUES, WHILE THE MEAN BMR OF NON-YOGA GROUP WAS COMPARABLE WITH THEIR PREDICTED VALUES DERIVED FROM 1985 WHO/FAO/UNU PREDICTIVE EQUATIONS. CONCLUSION: THIS STUDY SHOWS THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED BMR, PROBABLY LINKED TO REDUCED AROUSAL, WITH THE LONG TERM PRACTICE OF YOGA USING A COMBINATION OF STIMULATORY AND INHIBITORY YOGIC PRACTICES. 2006 4 2449 26 YOGA AND THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN ATTENTIONAL LOAD AND EMOTION INTERFERENCE. THIS STUDY COMPARED 45 YOGA PRACTITIONERS (M AGE = 29.7 YR., SD = 6.4) AND 45 MATCHED CONTROLS (M AGE = 29.3 YR., SD = 6.2) ON THE PERFORMANCE OF A BEHAVIORAL TASK THAT ASSESSED NEGATIVE EMOTION INTERFERENCE DURING A HIGH- AND A LOW-ATTENTIONAL DEMAND CONDITION, AS WELL AS ON STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES. OUTCOMES WERE ALSO COMPARED BETWEEN BEGINNER AND ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS. FOR THE BEHAVIORAL TASK, THE FINAL SAMPLE COMPRISED 36 YOGA AND 38 CONTROL PARTICIPANTS. THE YOGA GROUP PRESENTED LOWER EMOTION INTERFERENCE IN THE HIGH ATTENTIONAL CONDITION, COMPARED TO THE LOW ATTENTIONAL CONDITION; RATED EMOTIONAL IMAGES AS LESS UNPLEASANT, COMPARED TO CONTROLS; AND REPORTED LOWER STATE AND TRAIT ANXIETY SCORES RELATIVE TO CONTROLS. ALSO, EMOTION INTERFERENCE IN THE LOW ATTENTIONAL CONDITION WAS LOWER AMONG ADVANCED PRACTITIONERS AND STATE ANXIETY WAS LOWER AMONG PRACTITIONERS ATTENDING MORE THAN TWO WEEKLY YOGA CLASSES. THE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT YOGA MAY HELP IMPROVE SELF-REGULATORY SKILLS AND LOWER ANXIETY. THE PSYCHOLOGICAL MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOGA AND EMOTION REGULATION SHOULD BE FURTHER INVESTIGATED IN LONGITUDINAL STUDIES. 2015 5 1288 34 GREATER CORTICAL THICKNESS IN ELDERLY FEMALE YOGA PRACTITIONERS-A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY. YOGA, A MIND-BODY ACTIVITY THAT REQUIRES ATTENTIONAL ENGAGEMENT, HAS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH POSITIVE CHANGES IN BRAIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION, ESPECIALLY IN AREAS RELATED TO AWARENESS, ATTENTION, EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS AND MEMORY. NORMAL AGING, ON THE OTHER HAND, HAS ALSO BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH STRUCTURAL AND FUNCTIONAL BRAIN CHANGES, BUT THESE GENERALLY INVOLVE DECREASED COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS. THE AIM OF THIS CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WAS TO COMPARE BRAIN CORTICAL THICKNESS (CT) IN ELDERLY YOGA PRACTITIONERS AND A GROUP OF AGE-MATCHED HEALTHY NON-PRACTITIONERS. WE TESTED 21 OLDER WOMEN WHO HAD PRACTICED HATHA YOGA FOR AT LEAST 8 YEARS AND 21 WOMEN NAIVE TO YOGA, MEDITATION OR ANY MIND-BODY INTERVENTIONS WHO WERE MATCHED TO THE FIRST GROUP IN AGE, YEARS OF FORMAL EDUCATION AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL. A T1-WEIGHTED MPRAGE SEQUENCE WAS ACQUIRED FOR EACH PARTICIPANT. YOGA PRACTITIONERS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER CT IN A LEFT PREFRONTAL LOBE CLUSTER, WHICH INCLUDED PORTIONS OF THE LATERAL MIDDLE FRONTAL GYRUS, ANTERIOR SUPERIOR FRONTAL GYRUS AND DORSAL SUPERIOR FRONTAL GYRUS. WE FOUND GREATER CT IN THE LEFT PREFRONTAL CORTEX OF HEALTHY ELDERLY WOMEN WHO TRAINED YOGA FOR A MINIMUM OF 8 YEARS COMPARED WITH WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. 2017 6 2752 33 YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUPERIOR MOTOR IMAGERY PERFORMANCE. YOGA IS AN ACTIVITY THAT AIMS TO INTEGRATE PHYSICAL, MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS AND IS AN INCREASINGLY POPULAR APPROACH TO ENHANCING PHYSICAL FITNESS. THE INTEGRATION OF IMAGERY WITHIN YOGA PRACTICE IS CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT AND MAY BE CRITICAL IN CONTRIBUTING TO THE BENEFITS OF YOGA THAT HAVE BEEN REPORTED. IN THIS STUDY, WE TESTED WHETHER INDIVIDUALS WHO PRACTICE YOGA DEMONSTRATE SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE ON AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF IMPLICIT MOTOR IMAGERY. THIRTY-SIX PARTICIPANTS (18 YOGA, 18 NON-YOGA) MATCHED FOR AGE, SEX AND HANDEDNESS, UNDERTOOK THE HAND LATERALITY RECOGNITION TASK; AN OBJECTIVE MEASURE OF IMPLICIT MOTOR IMAGERY PERFORMANCE. ACCURACY AND RESPONSE TIMES WERE GATHERED AND ANALYSED TO DETERMINE ANY GROUP DIFFERENCES AS WELL AS ANY DIFFERENCES RELATING TO THE TYPICAL HALLMARKS OF IMAGERY (I.E. DOMINANCE AND AWKWARDNESS EFFECTS) ON THE TASK. RESPONSE TIMES (RTS) IN THE YOGA GROUP WERE SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER THAN CONTROLS (P < 0.05) AND THERE WAS ALSO A TREND TOWARDS GREATER ACCURACY FOR THE YOGA GROUP (P = 0.073). DOMINANCE EFFECTS (FASTER RESPONSES TO IMAGES CORRESPONDING WITH THE DOMINANT LIMB) AND AWKWARDNESS EFFECTS (FASTER RESPONSES TO IMAGES CORRESPONDING WITH NATURAL COMPARED WITH AWKWARD POSTURES) WERE EVIDENT ACROSS GROUPS, SUPPORTING THE PARTICIPANTS' USE OF MOTOR IMAGERY IN UNDERTAKING THE TASK. ADDITIONALLY, A GROUP X AWKWARDNESS INTERACTION (P < 0.05) REVEALED THAT THE ENHANCED IMAGERY PERFORMANCE FOR THE YOGA GROUP WAS MOST PRONOUNCED FOR AWKWARD POSTURES. THIS IS THE FIRST STUDY TO SHOW THAT YOGA PRACTICE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SUPERIOR MOTOR IMAGERY PERFORMANCE; AN ASSOCIATION THAT MAY BE IMPORTANT IN EXPLAINING THE ESTABLISHED REHABILITATIVE VALUE OF YOGA FOR CHRONIC PAIN. 2017 7 386 26 BENEFITS AND ADVERSE EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH YOGA PRACTICE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY FROM INDIA. OBJECTIVE: BENEFITS AND ADVERSE EFFECTS OF YOGA WERE REPORTED IN SURVEYS FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO (I) DETERMINE THE BENEFITS AND ADVERSE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN YOGA EXPERIENCED PERSONS IN INDIA AND (II) CORRELATE THESE EFFECTS OF YOGA WITH FACTORS RELATED TO THE INDIVIDUAL AND THEIR YOGA PRACTICE. DESIGN AND SETTING: THIS CONVENIENCE SAMPLING IN-PERSON SURVEY REPORTS BENEFITS AND ADVERSE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN 3135 YOGA EXPERIENCED PERSONS. RESULTS: THE BENEFITS OF YOGA WERE REPORTED BY 94.5 PERCENT OF THE RESPONDENTS. THE THREE MOST COMMON BENEFITS WERE IMPROVEMENT IN: (I) PHYSICAL FITNESS, (II) MENTAL STATE AND (III) COGNITIVE FUNCTIONS. AN ADVERSE EFFECT OF YOGA WAS REPORTED BY 1.9 PERCENT OF THE RESPONDENTS. THE THREE MOST COMMON ADVERSE EFFECTS REPORTED WERE: (I) SORENESS AND PAIN, (II) MUSCLE INJURIES AND (III) FATIGUE. THE FOLLOWING FACTORS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT ASSOCIATION (IN ALL CASES P < 0.05 CHI SQUARE TEST; CRAMER'S V > 0.10) WITH REPORTED BENEFITS OF YOGA: (I) EXPERIENCE OF YOGA IN MONTHS, (II) TIME SPENT PRACTICING YOGA IN A WEEK, (III) NUMBER OF YOGA TECHNIQUES PRACTICED, AND (IV) WHETHER AWARENESS WAS MAINTAINED DURING THE YOGA PRACTICE OR NOT. CONCLUSION: BENEFITS OF YOGA PRACTICE TO PHYSICAL HEALTH WERE THE MOST COMMON, WITH SORENESS AND PAIN THE MOST COMMON ADVERSE EFFECT OF YOGA. YOGA PRACTICE RELATED FACTORS INFLUENCE THE BENEFITS OF YOGA. 2021 8 760 32 EFFECT OF SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA PRACTICES ON P300 AMPLITUDE AND LATENCY. THE COGNITIVE ABILITY WHICH WAS PERCEIVED AS A CONSTANT TRAIT, IS NOW UNDERSTOOD TO BE UPGRADED BY ADAPTIVE AND EXTENDED TRAINING. YOGA PRACTICES ARE KNOWN TO SHARPEN THE INTELLECT AND ENHANCE CONCENTRATION. IN THE INITIAL PERIOD OF PRACTICING YOGA AS AN ALTERNATIVE/SUPPORTING TOOL TO MEDICAL LINE OF TREATMENT, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO INVESTIGATE EFFECT OF YOGA ON COGNITIVE ABILITY USING OBJECTIVE METHOD, IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH EVIDENCES. HENCE, AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXPLORE THE EFFECT OF REGULAR PRACTICE OF SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA ON AUDITORY EVENT RELATED POTENTIAL (P300) BY RECORDING AND COMPARING PEAK LATENCY AND AMPLITUDE. THE PARTICIPANTS WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS WITH GROUP I AND GROUP II PARTICIPANTS PRACTICING SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA FOR MORE THAN 36 MONTHS AND LESS THAN 36 MONTHS RESPECTIVELY. GROUP III WERE NON-PRACTITIONERS WITH NO PRIOR PRACTICE OF ANY FORM OF YOGA. TWENTY PARTICIPANTS IN EACH GROUP WITH A TOTAL OF 60 PARTICIPANTS BETWEEN 40 TO 65 YEARS OF AGE WERE RECRUITED FOR THE STUDY. RESULTS REVEALED A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE FOR MEAN LATENCY AND AMPLITUDE BETWEEN THREE GROUPS. FINDINGS OF THE CURRENT STUDY SUGGEST THAT SUDARSANKRIYA YOGA PRACTICES SLOWS DOWN THE PROCESS OF AGING EFFECT OR MAINTAINS ON COGNITIVE ABILITY IN ADULTS. 2021 9 2844 31 YOGA, DANCE, TEAM SPORTS, OR INDIVIDUAL SPORTS: DOES THE TYPE OF EXERCISE MATTER? AN ONLINE STUDY INVESTIGATING THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIFFERENT TYPES OF EXERCISE, BODY IMAGE, AND WELL-BEING IN REGULAR EXERCISE PRACTITIONERS. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, SPECIFICALLY EXERCISING, HAS BEEN SUGGESTED TO IMPROVE BODY IMAGE, MENTAL HEALTH, AND WELL-BEING. WITH RESPECT TO BODY IMAGE, PREVIOUS FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT A GENERAL BENEFIT OF EXERCISE. THIS STUDY INVESTIGATES WHETHER THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EXERCISING AND BODY IMAGE VARIES WITH THE TYPE OF EXERCISE THAT INDIVIDUALS PREFERENTIALLY AND REGULARLY ENGAGE IN. IN ADDITION, PHYSICAL EFFICACY WAS EXPLORED AS A POTENTIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDIATOR BETWEEN TYPE OF EXERCISE AND BODY IMAGE. USING A CROSS-SECTIONAL DESIGN, HEALTHY REGULAR EXERCISE PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA, BALLROOM DANCE, TEAM SPORTS, OR INDIVIDUAL SPORTS AS WELL AS HEALTHY ADULTS REPORTING NO REGULAR EXERCISING WERE SURVEYED. BODY IMAGE AND ITS DIFFERENT FACETS WERE ASSESSED BY A SET OF STANDARDIZED SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES, COVERING PERCEPTUAL, COGNITIVE, AND AFFECTIVE BODY IMAGE DIMENSIONS PARTICULARLY RELATED TO NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE. IN ADDITION, PARTICIPANTS WERE QUESTIONED WITH REGARD TO MENTAL HEALTH. PARTICIPANTS WERE 270 HEALTHY ADULTS. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS, MEASURES OF VARIANCE (ANOVA), AND MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION ANALYSIS WITH ORTHOGONAL CONTRASTS WERE PERFORMED TO INVESTIGATE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT EXERCISE AND NON-EXERCISE GROUPS IN THE VARIABLES OF INTEREST. IN LINE WITH THE HYPOTHESES AND PREVIOUS FINDINGS, THE STATISTIC COMPARISONS REVEALED THAT BODY DISSATISFACTION (AS ONE IMPORTANT FACTOR OF NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE) WAS MOST PRONOUNCED IN THE NON-EXERCISE GROUP COMPARED TO ALL EXERCISE GROUPS [CONTRAST: NO EXERCISE VERSUS EXERCISE (ALL GROUPS TAKEN TOGETHER)]. PHYSICAL EFFICACY, AS ASSESSED WITH A STANDARDIZED QUESTIONNAIRE, MEDIATED THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TYPE OF EXERCISE (USING CONTRASTS) AND BODY IMAGE INCLUDING PERCEPTUAL, COGNITIVE, AND AFFECTIVE BODY IMAGE DIMENSIONS. THE FINDINGS SHED LIGHT ON SO FAR LESS SYSTEMATICALLY INVESTIGATED QUESTIONS REGARDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TYPES OF EXERCISE, LIKE YOGA AND BALLROOM DANCE, AND BODY IMAGE. THE RESULTS UNDERSCORE THE RELEVANCE OF CONSIDERING POSSIBLE INFLUENCING FACTORS IN EXERCISE RESEARCH, SUCH AS THE PERCEPTION OF ONE'S PHYSICAL EFFICACY AS A MEDIATOR OF THIS RELATIONSHIP. 2021 10 1643 19 MOOD CHANGE AND PERCEPTIONS OF VITALITY: A COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGA. THE EFFECTS OF THREE DIFFERENT PROCEDURES, RELAXATION, VISUALIZATION AND YOGIC BREATHING AND STRETCH (PRANAYAMA) ON PERCEPTIONS OF PHYSICAL AND MENTAL ENERGY AND ON POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE MOOD STATES HAVE BEEN ASSESSED IN A GROUP OF NORMAL VOLUNTEERS (N = 71, AGE RANGE 21-76). PRANAYAMA PRODUCED A SIGNIFICANTLY GREATER INCREASE IN PERCEPTIONS OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND FEELINGS OF ALERTNESS AND ENTHUSIASM THAN THE OTHER TWO PROCEDURES (P < 0.5). RELAXATION MADE SUBJECTS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SLEEPY AND SLUGGISH IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SESSION THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05). VISUALIZATION MADE THEM MORE SLUGGISH BUT LESS CONTENT THAN PRANAYAMA (P < 0.05) AND MORE UPSET THAN RELAXATION AFTER THE SECOND SESSION (P < 0.05). THUS, A 30 MIN PROGRAMME OF YOGIC STRETCH AND BREATHING EXERCISES WHICH IS SIMPLE TO LEARN AND WHICH CAN BE PRACTISED EVEN BY THE ELDERLY HAD A MARKEDLY 'INVIGORATING' EFFECT ON PERCEPTIONS OF BOTH MENTAL AND PHYSICAL ENERGY AND INCREASED HIGH POSITIVE MOOD. A MORE EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION IS PLANNED TO ESTABLISH WHETHER SUCH A PROGRAMME CAN READILY BE INCORPORATED INTO EVERYDAY LIFE, AND WITH WHAT LONG-TERM RESULTS. 1993 11 1304 29 HATHA YOGA PRACTICE IMPROVES ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED IN OLDER ADULTS: RESULTS FROM AN 8-WEEK RANDOMIZED CONTROL TRIAL. BACKGROUND: AGE-RELATED COGNITIVE DECLINE IS WELL DOCUMENTED ACROSS VARIOUS ASPECTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION, INCLUDING ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED, AND LIFESTYLE BEHAVIORS SUCH AS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN PREVENTING COGNITIVE DECLINE AND MAINTAINING OR EVEN IMPROVING COGNITIVE FUNCTION. PURPOSE: THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTS OF AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA INTERVENTION ON ATTENTION AND PROCESSING SPEED AMONG OLDER ADULTS. METHODS: PARTICIPANTS (N = 118; MEAN AGE, 62 +/- 5.59) WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO AN 8-WEEK HATHA YOGA GROUP OR A STRETCHING CONTROL GROUP AND COMPLETED COGNITIVE ASSESSMENTS-ATTENTION NETWORK TASK, TRAIL MAKING TEST PARTS A AND B, AND PATTERN COMPARISON TEST-AT BASELINE AND AFTER THE 8-WEEK INTERVENTION. RESULTS: ANALYSES OF COVARIANCE REVEALED SIGNIFICANTLY FASTER REACTION TIMES FOR THE YOGA GROUP ON THE ATTENTION NETWORK TASK'S NEUTRAL, CONGRUENT, AND INCONGRUENT CONDITIONS (P